The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-09-15
ANEcDoTE OF MENoELssoHN.
Detecting One f Sharp in Twenty-six
Violins, with Chorus and Orchestra.

Detecting One + Sharp in Twenty-six
Violins, with Chorus and Orchestra.
Carl Zerrahn, the veteran conductor of
the Boston Handel and Haydn society,
spent the month of July on Staten Island.
To talk with him, no one would imagine
that his Boston career alone extends over
thirty-four years and that before he set
tied in the New England capital he had
Travelled through the length and breadth
of the United States for six years as
member of the famous Germania orches-
ira. He is still hale, hearty and vigor-
Gus, a tireless worker, and bubbles over
with enthusiasm so soon as he gets into
!! the company of musicians. He has an
ineXhaustible fund of anecdote and remin-
iscence, and, like those who remain of his
old associates, loves to recall the pioneer
work done by the Germania in behalf of
orchestral music over generation ago.
Hero is one of Mr. Zerrahn's favoritc
anecdotes which he repeated to some
musical friends over glass of Wurz-
burger: cit was in 1912 or '43, 1 am not
sure CT tho year, that l went to Schwerin
to attend u music festival which Mendels-
sohn was to conduct. Now you know
Mendelssohn was great musician and it
was not necessary for him to resort to
festival occurred an incident which still
lives in the memory of German musicians
as the 'Mcndelssohnsche Els Geschichte'-
the Mendelssohn f sharp story. You
may explain it to suit yourselves. The
orchestra was a large one-twenty-six
violins headed by Ferdinand David-and
the chorus about 500 voices. At the last
general rehearsal for st. Paul in the
chorus, % great is the depth Mendels-
sohn suddenly raped on his desk to COM
mand silence and said: AT one Of the
last violin stands somebody played L
sharp instead Of F. His friend David
Immediately jumped up and went from
stand to stand inspecting the parts. When
he reached the last he cried out: I've
found it, Herr Doctor; here is
the L sharp OF course the mu-
sicians and singers were lost in admira-
ton of such acuteness of hearing, and after
the rehearsal when l went to the beer
house with some of the orchestra players
nothing was to be heard except express
sions of wonder at DIR. Mendelssohns keen
ear. Now leave it to any conductor to
tell whether there ever has existed or can
exist an ear able to detect one i sharp in
twcnty-siX victims, with chorus, organ and
orchestra play ing tutti. But hear the
sequel. While we were talking about the
incident in came q violinist who had sat
at the last desk. Immediately he was
surrounded.
"'How was it with that F sharp
ga very singular performance that F
sharp said the fiddler dryly. DO you
know, my partner belongs to the military
band and had to 60 on parade, SO he was
absent from rehearsal this morning; and
when DR.. Mendelssohn heard that f
sharp which the concertmeister found in
my part was engaged in putting ON
new string
Sand the whole thing was petty con-
spiracy between Mendclssohn and David
to exploit the former?'
81 don't explain it; but the sharp before
the T was written in lead pencil, and you
can't hear one F sharp under such circum-
stances, can you now? and Mendelssohn
was not dependent on such tricks for his
reputation, was heP'-New York Tribune.